Knox Headquarters

MID-HUDSON – A total of 14 park facilities in the Hudson Valley would be closed and services at five others would be reduced in the new state budget year beginning April 1 to help close the massive $8.2 billion deficit.

“These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our state’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties,” said State Parks Commissioner Carol Ash.

Among the parks recommended to be shut down are the Fort Montgomery Historic Site, Anthony Wayne at Harriman State Park, Knox Headquarters Historic Site, New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, Stony Point State Historic Site, Phillipse Manor Hall Historic Site, Donald J. Trump State Park, and Wonder Lake State Park.

Reduced services include swimming at FDR State Park, reduced golfing season at James Baird State Park and Mills Norrie State Park and elimination of interpretive programs at Rockefeller State Park Preserve and Taconic Outdoor Education Center.

“The unfortunate reality of closing an $8.2 billion deficit is that there is less money available for many worthy services and programs,” said Governor David Paterson. “In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and social services, no area of state spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions.”

The parks cutting plan also assumes $4 million in park and historic site fee increases to be identified later and the use of $5 million from the Environmental Protection fund to finance parks operations.